Unit Three: Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)

Question 1

Who wrote Jane Eyre and when?

Answer 1

Charlotte Bronte in 1847

Question 2

Jane Eyre

Answer 2

The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Although she meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, Jane repeatedly succeeds at asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality. She also values intellectual and emotional fulfillment. Her strong belief in gender and social equality challenges the Victorian prejudices against women and the poor.

Question 3

Edward Rochester

Answer 3

Jane’s employer and the master of Thornfield, Rochester is a wealthy, passionate man with a dark secret that provides much of the novel’s suspense. Rochester is unconventional, ready to set aside polite manners, propriety, and consideration of social class in order to interact with Jane frankly and directly. He is rash and impetuous and has spent much of his adult life roaming about Europe in an attempt to avoid the consequences of his youthful indiscretions. His problems are partly the result of his own recklessness, but he is a sympathetic figure because he has suffered for so long as a result of his early marriage to Bertha.

Question 4

St. John Rivers

Answer 4

Along with his sisters, Mary and Diana, St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) serves as Jane’s benefactor after she runs away from Thornfield, giving her food and shelter. The minister at Morton, St. John is cold, reserved, and often controlling in his interactions with others. Because he is entirely alienated from his feelings and devoted solely to an austere ambition, St. John serves as a foil to Edward Rochester.

Question 5

Mrs. Reed

Answer 5

Mrs. Reed is Jane’s cruel aunt, who raises her at Gateshead Hall until Jane is sent away to school at age ten. Later in her life, Jane attempts reconciliation with her aunt, but the old woman continues to resent her because her husband had always loved Jane more than his own children.

Question 6

Bessie Lee

Answer 6

The maid at Gateshead, Bessie is the only figure in Jane’s childhood who regularly treats her kindly, telling her stories and singing her songs. Bessie later marries Robert Leaven, the Reeds’ coachman.

Question 7

Mr. Lloyd

Answer 7

Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds’ apothecary, who suggests that Jane be sent away to school. Always kind to Jane, Mr. Lloyd writes a letter to Miss Temple confirming Jane’s story about her childhood and clearing Jane of Mrs. Reed’s charge that she is a liar.

Question 8

Georgiana Reed

Answer 8

Georgiana Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs. Reed’s two daughters. The beautiful Georgiana treats Jane cruelly when they are children, but later in their lives she befriends her cousin and confides in her. Georgiana attempts to elope with a man named Lord Edwin Vere, but her sister, Eliza, alerts Mrs. Reed of the arrangement and sabotages the plan. After Mrs. Reed dies, Georgiana marries a wealthy man.

Question 9

Eliza Reed

Answer 9

Eliza Reed is Jane’s cousin and one of Mrs. Reed’s two daughters (along with her sister, Georgiana). Not as beautiful as her sister, Eliza devotes herself somewhat self-righteously to the church and eventually goes to a convent in France where she becomes the Mother Superior.

Question 10

John Reed

Answer 10

John Reed is Jane’s cousin, Mrs. Reed’s son, and brother to Eliza and Georgiana. John treats Jane with appalling cruelty during their childhood and later falls into a life of drinking and gambling. John commits suicide midway through the novel when his mother ceases to pay his debts for him.

Question 11

Helen Burns

Answer 11

Helen Burns is Jane’s close friend at the Lowood School. She endures her miserable life there with a passive dignity that Jane cannot understand. Helen dies of consumption in Jane’s arms.

Question 12

Mr. Brocklehurst

Answer 12

The cruel, hypocritical master of the Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine of privation, while stealing from the school to support his luxurious lifestyle. After a typhus epidemic sweeps Lowood, Brocklehurst’s shifty and dishonest practices are brought to light and he is publicly discredited.

Question 13

Maria Temple

Answer 13

Maria Temple is a kind teacher at Lowood, who treats Jane and Helen with respect and compassion. Along with Bessie Lee, she serves as one of Jane’s first positive female role models. Miss Temple helps clear Jane of Mrs. Reed’s accusations against her.

Question 14

Miss Scatcherd

Answer 14

Jane’s sour and vicious teacher at Lowood, Miss Scatcherd behaves with particular cruelty toward Helen.

Question 15

Alice Fairfax

Answer 15

Alice Fairfax is the housekeeper at Thornfield Hall. She is the first to tell Jane that the mysterious laughter often heard echoing through the halls is, in fact, the laughter of Grace Poole—a lie that Rochester himself often repeats.

Question 16

Bertha Mason

Answer 16

Rochester’s clandestine wife, Bertha Mason is a formerly beautiful and wealthy Creole woman who has become insane, violent, and bestial. She lives locked in a secret room on the third story of Thornfield and is guarded by Grace Poole, whose occasional bouts of inebriation sometimes enable Bertha to escape. Bertha eventually burns down Thornfield, plunging to her death in the flames.

Question 17

Grace Poole

Answer 17

Grace Poole is Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield, whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape. When Jane first arrives at Thornfield, Mrs. Fairfax attributes to Grace all evidence of Bertha’s misdeeds.

Question 18

Adèle Varens

Answer 18

Jane’s pupil at Thornfield, Adèle Varens is a lively though somewhat spoiled child from France. Rochester brought her to Thornfield after her mother, Celine, abandoned her. Although Celine was once Rochester’s mistress, he does not believe himself to be Adèle’s father.

Question 19

Celine Varens

Answer 19

Celine Varens is a French opera dancer with whom Rochester once had an affair. Although Rochester does not believe Celine’s claims that he fathered her daughter Adèle, he nonetheless brought the girl to England when Celine abandoned her. Rochester had broken off his relationship with Celine after learning that Celine was unfaithful to him and interested only in his money.

Question 20

Richard Mason

Answer 20

Richard Mason is Bertha’s brother. During a visit to Thornfield, he is injured by his mad sister. After learning of Rochester’s intent to marry Jane, Mason arrives with the solicitor Briggs in order to thwart the wedding and reveal the truth of Rochester’s prior marriage.

Question 21

Sophie

Answer 21

Sophie is Adèle’s French nurse at Thornfield.

Question 22

Mr. Briggs

Answer 22

John Eyre’s attorney, Mr. Briggs helps Richard Mason prevent Jane’s wedding to Rochester when he learns of the existence of Bertha Mason, Rochester’s wife. After John Eyre’s death, Briggs searches for Jane in order to give her her inheritance.

Question 23

Blanche Ingram

Answer 23

Blanche Ingram is a beautiful socialite who despises Jane and hopes to marry Rochester for his money.

Question 24

Diana Rivers

Answer 24

Diana Rivers is Jane’s cousin, and the sister of St. John and Mary. Diana is a kind and intelligent person, and she urges Jane not to go to India with St. John. She serves as a model for Jane of an intellectually gifted and independent woman.

Question 25

Mary Rivers

Answer 25

Mary Rivers is Jane’s cousin, the sister of St. John and Diana. Mary is a kind and intelligent young woman who is forced to work as a governess after her father loses his fortune. Like her sister, she serves as a model for Jane of an independent woman who is also able to maintain close relationships with others and a sense of meaning in her life.

Question 26

Rosamond Oliver

Answer 26

Rosamond is the beautiful daughter of Mr. Oliver, Morton’s wealthiest inhabitant. Rosamond gives money to the school in Morton where Jane works. Although she is in love with St. John, she becomes engaged to the wealthy Mr. Granby.

Question 27

John Eyre

Answer 27

John Eyre is Jane’s uncle, who leaves her his vast fortune of 20,000 pounds.

Question 28

Uncle Reed

Answer 28

Uncle Reed is Mrs. Reed’s late husband. In her childhood, Jane believes that she feels the presence of his ghost. Because he was always fond of Jane and her mother (his sister), Uncle Reed made his wife promise that she would raise Jane as her own child. It is a promise that Mrs. Reed does not keep.

Question 29

Theme: Love vs Autonomy

Answer 29

“Jane Eyre” chronicles Jane’s quest for love and belonging, encompassing both romantic affection and a sense of value. She expresses her willingness to endure physical pain for genuine affection from those she loves. However, Jane learns throughout the story to seek love without sacrificing her own well-being.

Her refusal of Rochester’s proposal stems from her fear of losing autonomy and integrity by becoming his mistress. At Moor House, she finds economic independence and meaningful work but lacks emotional fulfillment. Despite St. John’s proposal for a marriage based on purpose, Jane knows it would lack love.

Jane’s time at Moor House tests her autonomy, allowing her to prove her self-sufficiency. Only then can she marry Rochester as equals, without being asymmetrically dependent on him. Their union symbolizes mutual freedom and harmony, reflecting their compatibility and equal partnership.

Question 30

Theme: Social Class

Answer 30

“Jane Eyre” critiques Victorian England’s rigid social hierarchy, particularly through its portrayal of governesses. Jane, like Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights,” embodies ambiguous class status, causing tension among those around her. Despite possessing manners and education akin to aristocracy, as governesses were expected to, Jane remains powerless and penniless at Thornfield due to her employment status.

The novel highlights the double standard faced by governesses, who are expected to embody aristocratic culture yet treated as servants. Jane’s realization of her inferior social standing compared to Rochester, despite their intellectual compatibility, underscores the societal limitations she faces. Her reluctance to marry him stems from the sense of indebtedness she would feel, highlighting Brontë’s critique of class attitudes.

Jane herself challenges class prejudice, asserting her worth regardless of her social status. However, societal boundaries remain unchanged throughout the narrative. Jane’s eventual marriage to Rochester as equals is only made possible by her unexpected inheritance, emphasizing the novel’s commentary on social inequality.

Question 31

Theme: Home and belonging

Answer 31

“Jane Eyre” explores Jane’s concept of home as a place where she belongs and can contribute meaningfully. At Gateshead, she feels like an outsider and useless because she doesn’t fit in with the Reeds and cannot add to their happiness. Her lack of love and reciprocation exacerbates her sense of alienation. At Lowood, Jane’s sense of home is tied to Miss Temple’s presence, and without her, she feels disconnected. In Thornfield, Jane feels emotionally connected to Rochester, considering him her only home, but leaves him to prevent contributing to his sin. Her desire to be valuable to others and belong drives her decisions, as seen when she returns to Rochester when she can finally be useful to him. Throughout the novel, Jane’s quest for home reflects her yearning for belonging and purpose in the world.

Question 32

Symbol: The Split Chestnut Tree

Answer 32

The split chestnut tree in the orchard at Thornfield Hall serves as a powerful symbol in “Jane Eyre,” representing both the eventual dissolution of Jane and Rochester’s marriage and the transformation of their relationship. The tree witnesses their engagement and subsequent destruction by lightning during a storm, foreshadowing the marriage’s failure. Its destruction reflects the ominous mood surrounding their relationship and hints at Bertha Mason’s role in its demise, though her presence is not yet revealed.

Additionally, the split chestnut tree symbolizes the significant changes in Jane and Rochester’s relationship after Rochester loses his sight in the fire. Like the damaged tree, they must adapt to new roles, with Jane becoming the caretaker and provider. Rochester even compares himself to the tree, emphasizing the profound changes they face. The recurrence of this symbol late in the novel underscores its significance in representing the challenges and transformations in Jane and Rochester’s relationship.